Signal
by Yorik
Summary: Being one of the top leaders of the underworld, Enishi is responsible for the murders of many. The saving grace of one victim, however, is about to change all of that, and show Enishi just what justice is all about. EnishixKaoru CURRENTLY BEING REWRITTEN.
1. First encounter

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin © or anything connected to it. All characters are property of Noubiro Watsuki. The only thing I own is this really, really crappy plot.  
  
Summary  
  
Enishi is hurt after the death of his lover, and hides his true self from the rest of the world. Being one of the top leaders of the underworld, Enishi is responsible for the murders of many. The saving grace of one victim, however, is about to change all of that, and show Enishi just what justice is all about. ExK  
  
The signal  
  
...............................................................  
  
Chapter one First encounters  
  
He stood silent for a while whilst she drew her dressing gown closer about her.  
  
"Enishi," she began, playing with a loose stand of hair. "Enishi, we can't see each other any more."  
  
He frowned into the curtain of rain that was dripping noisily down the window. He drew a puff of his cigarette and waved a dismissing arm, a smirk dancing across his lips.  
  
"No," he said. "Of course we can't."  
  
She looked up in amazement. Did he not care? Would he not miss her as she would? She didn't know what to say. She decided to nod. Enishi swiveled round, letting the sheet draping his hips hang a little more loosely than before.  
  
"Of course, you'd have to tell your brother that I never existed, lest he should try to...exterminate me"  
  
She nodded sadly. "Ah...that will also have to be done..."  
  
She looked down at her nails sadly for a moment, but then, with gathering determination, decided to press Enishi with what plagued her mind most.  
  
"Won't you miss me?"  
  
Enishi looked up from his cigarette and stared at her, amused. "Well what do you think, Sayo?"  
  
Sayo twisted her sheets nervously between her fingers. Would he miss her? She wasn't so sure. Sayo had believed that she could reform the man - an almost impossible task, in her mind. Unfortunately, she had been unable to do so, by the look of things. She shook her head, her hair swaying softly, coordinating with her movements.  
  
"You won't, will you?"  
  
Enishi shook his head. "It's not healthy for me to be pining over a woman, Sayo"  
  
Her shoulders sagged slightly. "Oh...I see"  
  
"It's not that I don't like you; it's far from that - but a man needs his space. Can you understand what I'm trying to say?"  
  
Sayo broke down into s series of convulsive sobs, racking her body and making her seem like she was having a mini-seizure.  
  
"God will hate me," she sobbed, tears rolling down her cheeks. "God will hate me because I have sinned...because I have allowed my body to be defiled!"  
  
Enishi rolled his eyes. "Come now, Sayo," he muttered. "You're eighteen. It's about time you lost your virginity to a criminal mastermind." He stared at her shaking body for a moment before adding to his commentary. "Grow up. Your brother is afraid to see you grow up. You, on the other hand, should not be."  
  
"Grow up?!" she cried. "How am I to grow up when the man I love tells me that he does not love me after he sleeps with me?!" She pointed an accusing finger in his direction. "How dare you do such a thing to me, to use me when you know that I am against such things?! Enishi! How could you! I expected you to understand! I thought you were the only man apart from God that would listen and understand!"  
  
Enishi snorted. "God does not exist." Enishi took yet another toxic inhalation of his ever-shrinking 'cancer stick'. "If he did," he said, facing away from her dumbfounded and incredulous expression, "then we wouldn't have to live the shitty life that we're leading now"  
  
She was gaping. "H-how dare you?!" she cried, angry tears threatening to spill like a river trying to break a dam.  
  
Enishi ignored her and continued. "Either he does not exist, or he doesn't give a damn about us anymore." He turned his head ever so slightly and looked her in the eyes. "God," he said, "is nothing."  
  
Sayo looked as if she were about to roll over and die at any moment. She suddenly burst into prayer, begging forgiveness whilst Enishi did no more than watch her with a silent viciousness that seemed natural to him.  
  
"Don't you understand, Sayo? Nobody listens, nobody cares. Not anywhere on this goddamn earth does anyone think about anything but themselves." He paused to listen to the singing of the raindrops on the roof of her apartment. "There are no angels, there is no heaven. There is no Satan, there is no hell. Life is only what you make it, Sayo -it is absolute nothingness unless you have a purpose."  
  
She took a deep breath and pointed a pale finger towards the door. "Go," she whispered. "Now."  
  
Enishi chucked the half-burnt cigarette onto the floor and stamped on it. He gathered his shoes in one hand and walked towards the far end of the room, where his vestments lay in a muddled heap. Enishi bowed and gathered up his clothes from the floor. "I will, Sayo," he murmured, all too knowing that he would never be able to forget the look on her face if he saw it again. The sheet dropped to the floor as Enishi put on his underwear and white shirt. He stooped to pick up his trousers and put them on with cat-like agility, his several earrings glistening in the cold moonlight.  
  
He opened the door and took one last look at the woman that he had actually fallen for. The woman he would give up, for her sake. "I'll see you around." He smirked lopsidedly as he stepped into the hallway.  
  
"No," she whispered. "You won't."  
  
He grinned. "Sayo," he called.  
  
She didn't look up. Enishi swept into the room again and gathered her up in his arms with such strength and agility that she had no time to protest. He pressed his forehead against the base of her neck and inhaled softly.  
  
"Sayo," he muttered, opening his mouth to nip her tender flesh. "Can't you see what you're doing to me?"  
  
"I am doing nothing, Enishi."  
  
He smirked into her hair. "That's what you think"  
  
She succumbed to the temptation and relaxed, her body unnaturally comfortable against his own. He drew the sheet away from her and pushed her down onto the bed. She raised her leg ever so slightly so that Enishi slid effortlessly between her thighs. He raised an amused eyebrow.  
  
"Ready to play games again, are we?"  
  
She smiled, tracing a cold finger across his exposed neck. "Only with you"  
  
"Well, Kitty," began Enishi, pretending to be completely dispassionate, "you told me to leave"  
  
She drew him closer to her. "I may have said that, but I never told you not to come back"  
  
He smirked and traced his tongue between her exposed breasts. "No, you didn't, did you?"  
  
She smiled. "So," she said, gasping a little when Enishi got hold of flesh that was slightly more sensitive, "would you have missed me?"  
  
"Never." He said. "I know you're always there for me, so you don't need to be missed."  
  
Sayo snorted and pulled him up by his shirt collar. "That's nothing to say to a woman. If you want results, then you have to woo her the right way"  
  
Enishi looked her in the eye, eyebrow raised as it always was in it's usual cocky fashion. "Dear," he murmured, taking hold of her lips between his teeth, "I do not woo"  
  
"That's a shame, because I think Kenshin does"  
  
Enishi frowned. "You'd go crawling to the battousai just because he woos?"  
  
She giggled. "Of course!"  
  
"In that case," muttered Enishi, allowing his hands to trail lower that they had a few minutes before, "consider yourself a one-night stand"  
  
She laughed. "Done."  
  
"Excellent," he grinned, taking full advantage of his strength and charm to turn the event into a pleasant game of hide and seek.  
  
And so the game continued well into the night, until neighbors with threatening proclamations decided to take a stand.  
  
Sayo fell back against the now flattened pillow, curled with cat-like unctuousness in Enishi's arms. He reached out and tucked a tendril behind her ear.  
  
"If God does exist," he said, "then you must be my salvation, and angel sent to rescue me from the terror that is myself."  
  
"Maybe..."  
  
He smirked. "Not maybe, kitty, it is a fact."  
  
She swatted him. "Whatever, I'm going to sleep now..."  
  
"You should."  
  
She smiled.  
  
"Sweet dreams, kitty."  
  
.........................  
  
"Yukishiro-sama"  
  
He looked up. "Yes?"  
  
"Yukishiro-sama, Makoto-san is on the phone. He says it's urgent."  
  
Enishi waved a dismissive hand. "Very well, direct the call to my office."  
  
The messenger nodded, bowed and then left. A few minutes later, the phone rang.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yukishiro-san," murmured a deep, husky voice. "All is going as planned. Kiyosato-san is at the docks at Kobe."  
  
Enishi suppressed a smirk. "Very well. I will be there shortly, and Shishio?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Try not to let things get too out of hand? We can't afford to draw attention to ourselves."  
  
"Right."  
  
Enishi hung up and made his way out of the office, his white coat swaying gently as he walked.  
  
............  
  
Kiyosato Akira wiped the sweat from his brow and made his way down the wooden platform. The sea was much calmer than it had been for the past few weeks, although the wind had failed to subside. He looked around nervously, and then glanced at his watch.  
  
2:30  
  
They weren't due for another one hour. He sighed. He had come there to escape the malicious man, but to no avail. It seemed like his power knew no limits. He looked around desperately, hoping, praying for a miracle. That was when he saw her. She was walking into one of the little restaurants, followed closely by a group of people, most of them men, and good-looking ones at that. She was by far the most ravishing thing he had ever laid his eyes on, with her long, black hair that shone in the sun like polished ebony, her deep, blue eyes that caught his attention even through she was several meters away.  
  
He looked left, and then right. He couldn't see either one of them. He sighed in relief, and then made his way towards the little café.  
  
......  
  
She was sitting at the bar, sipping at a margarita stingily. One of her admirers leant against the counter and looked pleadingly into her eyes.  
  
"Come on, Kaoru. Once more? Please?"  
  
She shook her head. "Nope." She pointed to the drink in her hand. "Besides," she said, my throat hurts from earlier on."  
  
The man walked dejectedly back into the crowd, taking a long drag on his cigarette. She snorted. This was when Kiyosato Akira decided to make his move.  
  
"Hey," he said. "Can I buy you a drink?"  
  
She laughed. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm quite tipsy already."  
  
He looked around nervously again, and this time spotted a familiar figure sitting behind the 'Daily News'. "Will you walk with me?" he blurted out, quite unexpectedly. 'Good,' he thought. 'As long as I have a witness then they can't do anything to me.'  
  
She raised a questioning eyebrow. "Do you usually ask a girl out five minutes into meeting her?"  
  
He laughed awkwardly, stealing glances at the man in the corner of the room.  
  
"Of course not," he smiled, "you are the exception."  
  
She laughed and took his extended arm. "So," she began. "What's you're name?"  
  
"My name?" he asked. "Tetsuma. Yeah, that's it. Tetsuma Makimichi."  
  
She smiled. "Well, I'm Kaoru. Kamiya Kaoru."  
  
"Now," he said. "Where would you like to go?"  
  
She grinned. "The funfair," she replied promptly. "The funfair and then I need to see a man about a car downtown." She turned to face him. "You will accompany me, won't you?"  
  
He sighed and nodded his head. "Yes, of course I will."  
  
Her smile grew wider. "Excellent." She stood up and stared at him expectantly. "Well then, what are you waiting for? Let's go!"  
  
......  
  
Kaoru thoroughly enjoyed herself at the fair. She had forced her new friend to ride a rather vicious-looking roller coaster and the teacup ride, including the brightly lit merry-go-round. Twice.  
  
"Well," she laughed. "That was fun, ne?"  
  
The two walked along the wooden platform, the wind blowing through their hair. Kaoru's dress billowed out from behind her, and the warm, noon-day sun shone gently upon the both of them, casting a romantic light.  
  
"It's so romantic here," she sighed. "I don't want to go home."  
  
"You from the city then?"  
  
She nodded. "Yeah, I'm studying architecture in Tokyo."  
  
"Tokyo? Why I too-" he was cut off by the sudden appearance of a man, much younger than he, wearing a white suit. Akira frowned. "Excuse me," he snorted, his eyes flashing slightly.  
  
The man turned round on his heel and stared expressionlessly back at him. Akira's palms began to get sweaty. The man in the white suit smirked.  
  
"Why, I've been looking for you for ages, Kiyosato-san. What a coincidence that I ran into you here, of all places."  
  
Akira responded a little to quickly. "What on earth? Who are you? I've never seen you before in my life! And my name isn't Kiyosato, it's Tetsuma!"  
  
The man in the white suit made an acknowledging expression. "Oh yes, I forgot. That's your name. Tetsuma."  
  
Kaoru, who was really quite lost, smiled at the newcomer and extended her hand. "Hello," she said. "I'm Kaoru Kamiya." She turned to face Akira and drew him back slightly. "Is he a friend of yours, Tetsuma-san?"  
  
Akira shook his head vigorously. "Never seen him before in my life," he said, a little too quickly.  
  
"But he seems to know who you are!"  
  
"Must've mistaken me for someone else."  
  
They turned back to face the man in the white suit, who had by now lit himself a cigarette and was puffing at it happily. He grinned at Akira's anxious expression.  
  
"You have till three, Kiyosato," murmured the man.  
  
"Whatever are you talking about?!"  
  
The man smirked. He seemed to enjoy Akira's unease. "Three o' clock."  
  
Then, with a half-bow in Kaoru's direction, the mysterious stranger in the white suit melted into the crowd. Kaoru stared perplexedly after him.  
  
"I wonder who he is..."  
  
"No one important, I'm sure," breathed Akira heavily. "Shall we move away from this area now?" "Tetsuma-san, are you quite well?"  
  
He nodded. "Very. Why?" "You seem a little...jumpy."  
  
"Jumpy?" laughed the man nervously. "Jumpy? M-me?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "He was rather cute, don't you think?"  
  
"Oh, very...and dangerous," he muttered as an afterthought.  
  
"And his hair was so...weird"  
  
"Yes, yes," said Akira, looking around. "Very weird..."  
  
"But he looks so young! How do you suppose his hair got like that?" "Hn? Got like what, Kamiya-dono?"  
  
"So...white?"  
  
"Dye. Now can we go?" She laughed. "Alright, Tetsuma-kun, let's go."  
  
.............  
  
Akira was twisting his hands nervously. Kaoru had suddenly declared that she wanted to bathe in one of the little bathhouses along the way, so she had left Akira standing, exceedingly exposed and vulnerable, on the street. He looked at his watch.  
  
2:57  
  
He swallowed the lump in his throat unconsciously, and wiped his sweaty palms on his pants.  
  
2:58  
  
Akira glanced at his watch and then longingly at the bathhouse. It was rather hot for his liking. He noticed a man selling chilled fruit juice on the other side of the road. He called him over, and bought a drink.  
  
2:59  
  
Akira sipped at the liquid thankfully. Then, he stopped. His face convulsed for a few moments, and he spat the remainder of the juice out. He grabbed his throat, and fell on his knees. The street was completely deserted.  
  
3:00  
  
A gunshot resounded through the silence. Akira twitched for a few moments before finally laying still. Kaoru walked out five minutes later, and screamed.  
  
.......................................................................... Finally, the first chapter.  
  
I wasn't quite sure what to write in the first chapter. This was originally going to be a one-shot between Enishi and Sayo, but I changed my mind. For the best? I dunno, you tell me. So REVIEW ME!!  
  
A MILLION APOLOGIES!!  
  
I've uploaded the wrong document! I was so confused when I got all these things commenting on SK... iiee. Right. ~  
  
~seraph 


	2. Chapter two

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Rurouni Kenshin © or anything connected to it. All characters are property of Nohubiro Watsuki. The only thing I own is this really, really crappy plot.

**Summary**

Enishi is hurt after the death of his lover, and hides his true self from the rest of the world. Being one of the top leaders of the underworld, Enishi is responsible for the murders of many. The saving grace of one victim, however, is about to change all of that, and show Enishi just what justice is all about. ExK

...............................................................................................................................................

**Signal**

Chapter two

...............................................................................................................................................

"_For the love of God_, answer the question!"

Kaoru frowned. "You answer mine!"

She and Hajime Saitou shared a glare before he threw his chair back and stalked out of the room, rearing on a thunderclap. Himura Kenshin sighed impressively and rubbed his eyes. It wasn't going to be long before he went off the deep end.

"Kamiya-san, this is very important, that it is."

"This'll be so much faster if you just agreed to answer my questions first."

Kenshin spied Saitou through the small pane of glass that was set into the door and felt fairly alarmed. The man had finally gone mad, in his opinion, and was screaming something about "beating someone to death with a rusty crowbar."

"Make it snappy."

"Right," said Kaoru. "Firstly, who was that man? I mean his _real_ name."

"Kiyosato Akira. He's the man who runs those television studios...umm...comet cable, I think."

"You think? Aren't you supposed to be absolutely certain about facts like that?"

"Ahem! Next question?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. Is...sorry, WAS he married?"

Kenshin looked at her strangely. "I believe he was, de gozaru de."

"The bastard," she scowled. "Not that I did anything, of course," she added hurriedly.

Kenshin merely smiled. "Everything done?"

"Mmhmm...Oh, wait – can you find out what perfume he was wearing? It smelt so damn good!"

"Why," snarled Saitou, "do you insist on torturing us, Kamiya?" He was standing in the doorway, lips hard and brows knitted with frustration.

"Well _sorry!_"

"Kamiya-san," began Kenshin seriously, "did you notice anything strange while you were with Kiyosato?"

"Umm...I don't know...he seemed pretty jumpy."

Saitou raised an eyebrow. "Jumpy?"

"Yeah...he'd keep jumping each time I spoke. Honestly, it bugged the hell out of me."

"No strange people? Any passers by who caught your attention?"

"Oh! There was one man..."

"Please continue..."

"And he seemed to know Kiyosato-san's real identity." Kaoru frowned. "He looked pretty weird, though."

"Describe him for us."

"He was pretty tall. Six feet, maybe? Um...he was wearing a white suit...and his hair..."- she paused dramatically- "was white."

"An elderly-"

She shook her head. "No. He looked...um...mid-twenties? Early thirties?"

"A wig?" suggested Kenshin, his eyes solemn.

"Perhaps."

"Anything else, Kamiya?"

"Not that I can remember."

"Good. Now get out!"

"Hajime!" reprimanded his fiery-headed companion. He gave Kaoru a business card. "Call if you remember anything else," he smiled. "Everything helps."

.............................................

The sun had long since set by the time Enishi reached home. The light from the street shone through his windows and fell onto the furniture, casting long shadows on the walls. He stood there for a moment, thinking; contemplating; _wishing_ that somehow he would wake up from what he hoped was a nightmare.

He tried to turn the lights on, and when the room refused to illuminate itself, something somewhere in the back of his mind registered the fact that the electricity bill hadn't been paid, nor the gas or water.

She was the one who usually did that, not him. He _never_ remembered such petty things.

The tiny clock on the mantelpiece chimed two as he lowered himself onto the setae. Why was he there? There was nothing in that place for him now, only painful memories and perhaps some stone-cold coffee from a few nights ago. He didn't really like the stuff - but God, it was definitely useful.

He wondered why he had chosen to live with her in such a place. A normal, simple flat that was just enough for the two of them. One bathroom, a kitchenette, two bedrooms (which didn't necessarily imply that they slept separately) and a small area for receiving guests. He could just make out the silhouette of that daft ornament she loved so much. Why? Why did she adore that stupid, meaningless piece of ceramic? All it did was gather dust, after all. Why wasn't she with him at that moment, forcing him to convert; to have faith in a God -whom in his opinion- did not exist? Why wasn't she sleeping beside him, holding him tightly and running her fingers gently through his hair? Why wasn't she laughing in that silly, absurd way that only she could laugh?

Why wasn't she _there_?

Enishi had cried only three times in his life. Once was when his father beat him for being rude to a guest. Enishi had cried because the marks were not the only things that stung. Failing to get his father's approval seemed to be the equivalent of losing an arm. That was then, though. After a while Enishi realized that his father's thoughts of him didn't matter. The next time was when Tomoe died. He had been devastated. She had, after all, been the only person to comfort him when he was sad or angry; his second mother-no, his **only** mother, with her calm demeanor and caring words.

It shocked him when she left home. She didn't tell a soul. Not even him. He was very hurt at that time, and still was – not that he'd ever told her, though. He was also hurt when he found out about _him_. The very man she sought to kill became her beloved. The Battousai, Himura Kenshin. What made her love him? What made her stay by his side? Was he not the one who took away her happiness in the first place? Hadn't **he** been the one to kill Kiyosato Akira, her fiancée?

Apparently not.

After his sister had given her life to protect the man, Enishi had been furious. What right did that _murderer_ have to take the life of someone who had, in reality, done nothing to him? _He_ should have died, not her. He hated him for years- Himura Kenshin, the man who took her life, who ruined his own, and still (somehow) managed to win favour with the government. It wasn't fair.

Enishi had been left to live the life of a pauper. He couldn't go back to his father – not ever. He hated him too. His father had never really cared much for him anyway – Enishi was merely a tool to carry on the family name. Luck was not with him. Every night for almost a year, he was forced to beg for food and steal whatever else would keep him alive. He didn't like to beg either – it truly damaged his pride as a once-wealthy member of the higher class. For this, he cursed the Battousai even more. He wallowed in anger and self-pity for a good many months when chance had it that Enishi met a man who claimed to be a 'Jack-of-all-trades'; Sosonoka Taoreru.

Taoreru introduced Enishi to a world he had never seen before- one of smoking, gambling, crime and vicious fights. It

therefore wasn't long before Enishi had been caught up by the Yakuza, who then used him as a spy for several years. It wasn't likely that the authorities would suspect a sweet, gentle child of being in contact with the Japanese mafia. After he turned fifteen, however, his job of spying had been passed onto some other unfortunate soul, leaving him a bit more free time than usual.

None of this stopped his brooding, though, and after a while, began to affect him physically as well as mentally. His eyes became colder and harder, his thoughts deeper and more angst-filled, his hate more passionate and enflamed. His mind became quick and adaptable to situations, and his hair turned white. Yukishiro Enishi had transformed completely.

It was therefore inevitable that Enishi rose through the ranks, directing operations, fixing stupid mistakes and getting rid of 'unwanted resources'. Soon, he was leader of a large division, and at nineteen, rose to be the right-hand man of Gaichu Machi, mafia boss.

It took another three years before Enishi discovered that Kiyosato Akira was still alive. He was puzzled for a moment. Who wouldn't be? After all, Kiyosato was supposed to be dead. It was only later that Enishi found out _exactly _what had happened to the man. He had feigned death to escape the pressures of his position in the Chinese government and his engagement to Enishi's sister, Tomoe. He had then fled to Japan, informing everyone he knew that he was going there on 'business', and had somehow tactfully spread the tale of how the Battousai had killed a Chinese government official, namely himself. Kiyosato had then taken up lodging with a businessman's sister, and had since then climbed the ladder of prosperity.

Enishi calculated his moves very carefully. Nothing was to seem out of the ordinary. He made it appear as if Kiyosato was being hunted down by the real Battousai, and led him into his trap. He promised to eliminate the shadow assassin, leaving Akira scot free- but at a price. Akira was to fund their '_organization_'. Enishi knew that sooner or later, Akira would be unable to pay his debts, thus giving him an excuse to remove him.

It worked like a charm.

..................

"What do you mean, _evicted_?"

"You haven't paid your rent for three months, Kamiya-san."

"_So?!"_

"So I think that's a good reason -if any- for you to be expelled from this luxurious establishment."

"Luxurious? But the floors are coming apart and the water from the taps is_ brown!_"

"Rubbish!"

"I'll show you for yourself!"

"I know for a fact that there isn't anything wrong with this place."

"Well, you've certainly got your facts screwed up!"

"Sh-shut up!"

"I will do no such thing!"

"You have until tomorrow! I've waited for you long enough!"

"What!? You can't just throw me out like that!"

"Watch me."

"You're supposed to give me a few weeks until I find a new place!"

"What I'm _supposed_ to do and what I'm _going_ to do are two very different things."

"Oh, come _on_, will you?"

"I don't think-"

"_Please?_"

.......................................

'_Fat lot of good **he** is!'_ scowled Kaoru, making her way through an empty street after a rather hectic night at the local bar. She kicked a stray Coca Cola™ can onto the road before coming to a stop in front of a large billboard that featured an alluring perfume by Givenchy™. Having considered the object for a few moments, she stooped to the ground, picked up a plastic bottle and hurled it at what seemed to represent an unachievable dream. She had been fired that night for breaking a bottle of hundred-thousand yen Dom Perignon™. She wasn't happy. In fact, the only sane thing she could think of at that moment, besides a colourful selection of plans to murder both landlord and ex-employer, was that the perfume on the billboard actually _did_ smell quite nice. She opened her mouth to groan, and instead, let out a loud, piercing scream.

Having done this, Kaoru slumped onto a bench at the bus stop and burst into tears.

.............

Enishi didn't know how long he had been walking for. The only thing his mind seemed to recognize was the large billboard by the bus stop. His eyes couldn't see. His ears couldn't hear. His mouth couldn't speak. His throat couldn't swallow. His brain couldn't think. His heart couldn't feel. He fell onto a nearby bench and tilted his head so that he could see the stars. She hadn't really cared much for astronomy. That was more _his_ forte. She had been far more interested in science and logic. Enishi appreciated logic too – his life revolved around it, in fact, but some part of him felt like it still used to believe in Santa Claus and the tooth fairy. Not anymore. Everything suddenly seemed hollow. Hope? What was that? Stupid word. **Stupid word**. _Stupidstupidstupidstupid!_ Enishi felt something warm on his cheeks and so brought his hand up to touch it. It was only then that he realized that he had been crying the whole time.

A new voice brought him back down to earth.

"Did the assholes get you good, too?"

Silence. Who was speaking to him? Someone sniffed.

"You shouldn't keep quiet like that. You should scream, cry and act like a psychopath." He owner of the voice paused for a moment and then let out a bitter laugh. "That's probably what's wrong with me. That's right. I'm a psychopath."

Who the **_hell_** was that woman?

"Oh, God – I'm a psychopath!" She laughed. "A psychopath; a psychopath!"

Enishi turned his head in the slightest of movements so as to get a closer look at the woman who branded herself a 'psychopath'; and judging by how she was talking to both herself and a random stranger, he assumed that this was probably true.

She was fair, with long hair that rivaled the darkness of the night. Her skin was pale and milky; figure hunched and face (currently) buried in her arms. Enishi wasn't quite sure whether he should run away from the crazy woman, screaming like a lunatic, fearing for his sanity, or simply sitting there and watching her – she was mesmerizing, for some odd reason.

"That stupid bottle of alcohol. It was an accident. _Accident_. Accident with a capital 'A'. I shouldn't lose my job just because that retard's got a tight wallet!"

Enishi decided that he would ignore her. No, he'd go one step further. He'd leave altogether. That's right. Leave. Away from the crazy woman.

"They're accusing me! Me of all people! Why the hell would I want to kill that guy anyway? I didn't even know him!"

_Kill? What guy?_

"...And I didn't pay my rent for just three months! Scrap that, it was more like two and a half! Why the hell did I let that bastard kick me out?! What am I going to do?! I have nowhere to go! I'm doomed! Where am I going to stay!?"

Upon saying this, the mysterious woman brought her head up and her eyes met Enishi's. He blinked several times as if to say 'what, are you talking to _me?_'

'_Oh God,_' he thought. Her eyes were _beautiful_.

"I...I know a place."

Did he just speak?

She sniffed. "Huh?"

"A few blocks away."

What? Wait, what was he saying? He didn't know anyplace-

"Really?"

"Yeah..."

_Nononononononono!_

"They'd let me stay there?"

"It's empty right now..."

What? Surely he wasn't considering-

"It is?"

"My fiancée used to live there."

_NO!!_ What was he saying?! Not there. Anywhere but there...

"Really? So where're you guys living now?"

"She's dead."

_And you're trying to sell her house off the day after her funeral. Nice work._

"Oh, I'm so sorry..."

"Hmmn..."

"I thought you looked a bit sad too..."

_Sayo..._

"It's alright."

_No, it isn't!_

"Are you sure it's alright if I stay there?"

"Sure."

_Over my dead body!_

Her eyes lit up. "Oh, thank you, thank you so very much!"

_Stop thanking me! You are **NOT**, I repeat **NOT**..._

"Your welco- I mean, whatever."

She giggled. "You're my new best friend for life!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Oh God, was he _flirting?_

"I'm sure I've seen you somewhere before..."

He frowned. "I don't think so..."

Now that she'd mentioned it, she seemed rather familiar too.

"How much is the rent?"

"We'll work that out later."

_**NOTHING!** No rent, no crazy woman! You are **not** staying in her house!_

She smiled and took his hand in hers. "Really, thanks. You don't know how much this means to me."

Her eyes were gorgeous. Swirling pools of blue and- _**NO!** Enishi! Concentrate! Concentrate!_

He stood up, rubbed the remaining tears from his eyes and hung his coat on the crook of his arm. "Come on," he said. "I'll take you there myself."

_**WHAT!?**_

"Cool."

'_Cool'? Who the hell says 'cool' anymore?_

Enishi then pushed his annoying subconscious towards the back of his mind, and the two made their way from the bus halt into the night.

...............................................................................................................................................

Hurrah, chapter two is finally out! Needless to say, I had a lot of fun writing it, especially the last part. Oh yeah, and a mistake on my part in chapter one... when I say "Sae" I actually mean "Sayo" – that highly religious weirdo woman who turned out to be quite nice. Thanks to ALL my reviewers! You guys keep me going!

Pu


End file.
